iPhone 3G Unavailable Through Apple’s Online Store

By Jeff Gamet

May 25th, 2010 12:44 PM EDT

The US$99 8GB iPhone 3G is no longer available for purchase at Apple’s online store, although it still appears in store’s lineup. The change comes on the same day that Walmart began offering the 16GB iPhone 3GS for $97.

Apple had been offering the iPhone 3G as a low cost alternative to the iPhone 3GS and its $199 base price. The change at both Apple and Walmart looks to be a fairly strong indication that the iPhone 3G will be phased out soon and that the 16GB iPhone 3GS will become the new entry level model.

If so, that adds more support to the assumption that Apple will introduce the next generation iPhone during its annual World Wide Developers Conference starting on June 7. Apple isn’t, however, saying yet when it will announce and ship the next iPhone model.

Apple is expected to unveil the fourth generation iPhone at WWDC during a keynote presentation hosted by CEO Steve Jobs. Based on a series of leaks, the updated model will likely include the first major redesign of the unit’s case, a 5 megapixel camera and flash, a faster processor, and potentially a front facing camera, too.